We are so thrilled for GrowNYCers Jessica Douglas, Rishma Lucknauth,and Jerome Nathaniel,who were recentlynamed “rising stars” in New York City Food Policy by Hunter College. The list recognizes individuals “who are working to transform the food system.” Here’s a snippet from their profiles:

Jessica: “My real education in food policy began 11 years ago when I began working for Greenmarket as a Market Manager. I now oversee logistics and operations for all 51 Greenmarkets throughout the five boroughs.”

Rishma: “I’ve always wanted to be a fisherman, but my seasickness wouldn’t allow that dream to manifest. Instead, I support our local fishermen (and women) who brave the high seas to bring fresh seafood to Greenmarket every week—they’re better at it than I could ever be.”

Jerome: “I … gained professional experience in the food justice world when I worked for Foodlink in Rochester as their SNAP Outreach Coordinator. It was during those three years that my passion for food justice was solidified.”

Jessica, Rishma, and Jerome will be honored at an event taking place on June 7th, 2018.

Click here to read the full interviews, and check out the other honorees working to make NYC a healthier and more sustainable place!

Break bread with GrowNYC Grains and your fellow home bakers! Bakers of all experience levels are welcome to swap samples with fellow grain geeks and share secrets on how to get a really crusty crust. Some of New York City's best professional bakers, including Austin Hall of She Wolf Bakery, Sharon Burns-Leader of Bread Alone Bakery, and Peter Endriss of Runner & Stone will also be on hand to talk tips and techniques.

Bring a loaf of your favorite home baked bread, made with locally-grown grains and flours, and copies of your recipe and/or starter to trade with others.

Tickets include event entry and one drink.

Purchase grains and flours from the GrowNYC Grainstand at the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and other locations listed here.

You know who you are Winter Warriors -- it's 20 degrees outside and you're piling on the layers, getting Fido into his doggie-sweater, and grabbing the frozen compost -- all in preparation for your farmers market trip. We want to reward you for your Greenmarket love and loyalty with a chance to win two travel certificates, good for the base fare of two roundtrip JetBlue flights (excluding taxes/fees)!

Take a photo and post it to your Instagram account with the hashtag #GMKTWinterWarrior and #contest. Limit one entry per Instagram account per day.

Photos can be selfies, or they can be shots of vegetables, farmers (with their permission), any kind of wintry Greenmarket cheer. As long as the photo is taken inside any one of the 24 Year-Round Greenmarket Farmers Markets during open market hours and posted to Instagram with the hashtag #GMTKWinterWarrior, it is a chance to win!

On March 1st 2018, GrowNYC will pick one lucky winner to receive two travel certificates, good for the base fare of two roundtrip JetBlue flights (excluding taxes/fees)! These vouchers must be used by June 15, 2018. It’s a fast turnaround, but there’s enough time to get somewhere warm.

GrowNYC and Greenmarket staff, volunteers, farm staff, or farmers, or family members are not eligible to win.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the U.S., DC & PR, 18 years and older. Contest ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on 2/28/18. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules for details.

As the curtain closes on 2017, we mark TWO milestones for GrowNYC’s zero waste programs. We are thrilled to announce; thanks to YOU we have collected more than 10 million pounds of food scraps at our Greenmarkets!

There’s more! YOU have helped keep 5 million pounds of clothing and textiles from going to landfills by dropping them at collection sites hosted by GrowNYC.

Thanks to your participation that’s 7,500 tons of material repurposed to build soil, create renewable energy, or live a second life as usable clothing, rags, or recycled fiber products!

What started as 6 Greenmarkets in 2011 has grown to 42 food scrap drop-off locations at GrowNYC’s Greenmarkets, Youthmarkets, and Fresh Food Box sites throughout the City! Not to mention the 18 new Compost On-The-Go locations near mass transit in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx. Hats off to you and your fellow dedicated New Yorkers who save, store, and transport their scraps each week.

New Yorkers are equally dedicated to style, and demand for clothing collections continues. What began as “Material Mondays” at Union Square Greenmarket is now a network of 27 markets accepting clothing each week through our partner, Wearable Collections. Every shirt, suit, and pair of shoes collected helps chip away at the 193,000 tons of textile waste New Yorkers send to landfill each year – 5 MILLION POUNDS AND COUNTING!

Food scraps and textiles comprise nearly one-quarter of NYC’s residential discards. Thanks to you, these efforts are one successful component of getting NYC to zero waste.

Holiday gift shopping for the Greenmarket lover is made easy with this list of popular holiday gifts from Greenmarket producers. Please note, not all of these items are sold at every market location so check the producer line-up to see what products are available at your local Greenmarket.

NON-FOOD ITEMSGreenmarket Merch: Tote bags, reusable produce bags, baby bibs, tea towels, bamboo spatulas, Short Stack cookbooks, note cards, and mugs at Union Square Greenmarket Merch Tent Greenmarket Tokens: Wooden tokens can be purchased in $5 increments at the information tent at any Greenmarket using a credit or debit card. Tokens can be used like money at most vendors. Out of town but want to purchase tokens for family and friends living in New York? Call our office at 212.788.7900 and ask about purchasing tokens. The New Greenmarket Cookbook: Available for sale at Union Square Greenmarket and various other markets, as well as on www.grownyc.org/cookbook.Greenmarket Producer Cookbooks:The Fishermen's Wife by Stephanie Villani; The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook;Bread Alone CookbookSoapsSachets, Salves, Lip Balms, Lotions, and Body OilsYarn, Hats, Scarves from Catskill Merino and Rosehaven AlpacaHerbal Tinctures, Teas, and Tisanes from Violet Hill Farm, Furnace Creek Farm, White Pine Community Farm, Tweefontein Herb Farm WreathsDecorative Garlic Braids from Keith’s FarmPoinsettias, Paper Whites, and Orchids
Succulent & Cactus plants

Earlier this month, GrowNYC held the second in our Chef Seasonal Dinner Series.

It was magnificent!

Five leading chefs from some of NYC’s most prominent restaurants donated their time and incredible culinary skills to create an unforgettable meal.

The theme of the dinner was International Harvest. Chef Ron Roselli of Bowery Road kicked things off with passed hors d’oeurves, including Fried Mushroom with a Citrus Aioli and Calabrian Chili, as well as Sicilian Cauliflower with Pine Nuts and a Chili Garlic Vinaigrette, which were followed by Sacco Chicken Stew with Bitter Orange and Dominican Root Vegetables prepared by Chef Charles Rodriguez of Print. The second course, prepared by Iceland native Chef Gunnar Gíslason of Agern, consisted of Honeynut Squash with Sea Buckthorn, Honey and Brown Butter. Next was Octopus with Salsa Veracruzana and Blue Eye Potatoes created by Chef Daniela Soto-Innes of Cosme, inspired by the cooking of Chef Sotto-Innes’s home country, Mexico. And finally, for dessert,Chef Miro Uskokovic from Gramercy Tavern reimagined an Apple “Lazy” Pie with Baklava Ice Cream and Cranberry from his childhood in Serbia. And because two desserts are better than one, he made Serbian-inspired Truffles with Slivovitz and Cacao Prieto.

Magnificent. (It must be said again.)

This year marks the 18th anniversary of GrowNYC's New Farmer Development Program which provides assistance and opportunity for immigrants with backgrounds in agriculture looking to continue a career in farming in the Northeast. To celebrate, participants of that program, Sergio and Paz Nolasco of Nolasco Farms, gave a short speech about what Greenmarket means to their business.

All the proceeds from the event allow Greenmarket to use Project Farmhouse throughout the year as an educational space for youth programming, panel discussions, film screenings, and networking events focused on a just and sustainable local food system. We’re deeply grateful to all of the participating chefs, as well as Bread Alone, Breuckelen Distilling, Brooklyn Brewery, Great Performances, Lauber Imports, Library of Distilled Spirits, Omni New York LLC, and Union Square Wines for their help and support for our International Harvest Dinner. Photography by Vitaliy Piltser.